[[folder:Season 1]]* Early in the pilot episode, Homeless Bum Reese is harassed by a group of low-life punks. He hands them their asses. Later, when he needs weapons, he tracks down the same punks to a gun deal. What follows is ''poetry.''-->"You're [[GangstaStyle holding that thing sideways]]. You can't aim it, and two, it'll eject a shell casing right into your face. [[PreemptiveDeclaration See?]]" ''([[CurbStompBattle one-shots]] [[OneManArmy every thug in the room]] [[JustAFleshWound in the thighs]])''** Bonus points; there were seven punks, and he fired the gun ten times. Due to the small size of the weapon the first punk shoved in his face, by the time he threatened the ringleader into letting him [[KleptomaniacHero treat the arsenal on the table like a buffet]], it was probably ''[[ItWorksBetterWithBullets empty]]''.[[note]]IRL it was a blanks-only [[http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Person_of_Interest_-_Season_1 "non-gun"]] issued by propmasters to untrained extras.[[/note]]* Reese then puts what came to be known as the "Plan B bag" to good use. He ambushes a SUV with a hostage in it by firing a tear gas canister dead on through the windscreen with his new projectile launcher, causing it to crash, then walking towards the car, he kneecaps a hostage taker with his new WeaponOfChoice and finishes off the second man by hitting him in the face with the bag. * Also from the Pilot episode; a handcuffed Reese escapes from the backseat of an unmarked NYPD cruiser by setting off a flashbang underneath the driver's seat, and then after the car wrecks he simply kicks out the back window, frees himself, and walks away... after stopping to shoot the DirtyCop four times in the back. At point blank range. Not to worry though, he made sure that he was wearing a bullet proof vest first. * Reese switches the recording the POI was using with one that exposed her criminal activities. She plays it in the middle of a packed court room preventing her from pulling off a KarmaHoudini.* In "Ghost", the main bad guy is driving away after confirming with his hitman the location of the POI. Not to worry, Reese comes out of nowhere and ambushes the man's car with a dump truck. ** Harold may not be a former CIA agent, but when push comes to shove, he helped stall the hitman for some time with the creative use of a phone and lamp and was willing to take the bullet for the POI when they got cornered.** The young POI herself, by having the opportunity to escape through a window which Finch can't get through and instead deciding to stay with him.* In "Mission Creep", Reese is having a drink with the latest Person of Interest when two eavesdropping bankers interfere with their conversation and one tells Reese that returning soldiers should learn to adapt and he should use his head. Reese shows him just how he uses his head. ** In the climax of the episode, the main antagonist has sabotaged the submachineguns of his bank robbery crew and is leisurely murdering them with a silenced pistol. He doesn't count on Reese packing a fully automatic Glock 18 machine pistol as a backup weapon however and is forced to flee when Reese lays down suppressing fire. * Reese's confrontation with Andrew Benton at the end of "Cura Te Ipsum," combined with its [[spoiler: NoEnding conclusion]].--> "Maybe it's up to me to do what the good people can't. Or maybe there are no good people, only good decisions. . . . Andrew, help me make a good decision."* The Car Trunk of Doom in "Judgement", where Reese interrogates a suspect by tying him up, dumping him in the trunk of a car, and then going for a joy-ride. '''It works, too.'''--> "The longest it's ever taken me to break someone is 16 hours. You don't look like you're gonna set a record."* Mr. Finch confronting Keller at the end of "The Fix" reminds us that he is, in his own way, just as dangerous as Mr. Reese.-->'''Finch''': "I know that the only thing you do care about is money. So that's what I'm going to take from you. Your money. All of it. You were right, Mr. Keller. [[IronicEcho Thanks to you, I never will have to invest in another company]]." ** In the same episode, Reese has a fantastic PreMortemOneLiner:-->"Lucky you." * "Witness": the reveal of [[spoiler: the MagnificentBastard Carl Elias]] When the Yogorovs finally inform Carter and John who they were actually looking for, Charlie Burton, the meek, DeadpanSnarker school teacher [[spoiler: transforms into a professional and pragmatic criminal mastermind, utterly catching John off guard with a DramaticGunCock]] After forcing John to tie himself to the rail, he kneecaps one of the Yogorovs, calmly walks off the east river ferry where his bodyguard who knocked out Fusco is waiting and to the tune of the AwesomeMusic "Sinnerman" casually strolls off to his SUV which zooms away by the time Harold arrives.** Later he has a lone gunman break into the Yogorov offices and double tap the patriarch of the family, forcing the Russian Mafia to cede control of Brighton Beach, [[spoiler: the place where Carl's father used to run before being arrested]]* Carter demands that Finch explain what he and his partner are doing. Finch gives Carter a number (A man who lost his job, home, and family, and holds a grudge against the banker who foreclosed on him). Within seconds of Carter figuring out what will happen and taking down the [=PoI=] right before he can kill his target, she gets a call on her cell phone.-->'''Finch''': That, Detective Carter, is what we do. * "Root Cause" Reese fights off a hired killer and knocks him out by ripping a public bathroom hand dryer out of a wall and slamming it on the man's skull.** Finch tackling the hacker simply by [[CutTheJuice cutting]] the power, and before he realises his system's been compromised he sounds - in his understated way - both impressed and ''excited'' by the other hacker's work. Looks like Root's WorthyOpponent claim is mutual...* In the climax of "Risk", the POI gets even with the colleague that betrayed him and the JerkAss corrupt SEC official who both tried to have him murdered and caused his uncle and dozens of investors to lose their money by bankrupting them both completely with Finch's assistance.** A hit squad is sent to kill the POI who is hiding out at a homeless encampment. Three of them come in with automatic weapons. Reese has his sidearm. [[TheGunslinger In about five seconds he's killed two and driven the third off.]]* "Flesh And Blood" A young Elias, not yet the MagnificentBastard crime lord is taken away to be executed by two enforcers. He fights back, takes control of the garotte one of his executioners is using and turns the tables on both of his would be killers.** Finch, with nothing but words and a few photographs, walking up to one of the head cops in a corrupt cop ring on his own and manipulating him into stopping HR from working with Elias. This is where their conversation ends:--> '''Officer Simmons''': What do you want?--> '''Finch''': You need to get me the location of Detective Carter's son and call off any men you have working on Elias's behalf. HR severs its ties with Elias as of this moment. ** Carter using each of the items in the Plan B bag in order to hold off the hit squads Elias has sent after the New York Dons. ** Reese rescuing Carter's kidnapped son has to be seen to be believed. ** One of the SmugSnake Dons who's secretly made a deal with Elias grabs Fusco's backup revolver and tries to force Carter and Fusco to let Elias into the safehouse. [[spoiler: They gun him down in response]]** Elias gets one in the end of "Flesh and Blood", he may have initially failed in his goal to kill off his targets but gets an excellent consolation prize when he has his Father and his half brother killed in a car bomb. The surviving Don later makes peace with Elias, and thus accomplishing his aim of taking control of New York's criminal underworld. * "No Good Deed"** Despite getting wiped out by Reese in the end, the ISA hit squad acquitted themselves very well in their mission to kill Henry Peck. When Reese is escaping with Peck in a cab, they set up a nearly successful ambush with their team sniper disabling the taxi cab by detonating the fuel tank with a single shot.** Also, Finch hacked the NSA with a coffee machine. * "Many Happy Returns":** Reese finds out the latest number (which Harold hid from him knowing his past) is a victim of domestic abuse, fleeing her husband, a U.S. Marshall. BerserkButton ''thoroughly'' pressed, [[RefugeInAudacity Reese casually strolls into the local U.S. Marshall's office]] where the deputy is using the Marshall's resources to track down his wife and beats the hell out of him and two other deputies, and then threatens to kill him if he comes after his wife again, offhandedly knocking out another deputy on his way out the door.* "Firewall":** [[spoiler: Root's plan to capture Harold, become a POI, get into a situation where John and Harold are separated and take the latter hostage, utterly outwitting the normally ProperlyParanoid Team Machine]]** Finch hacking all the cell towers north of Canal Street and cutting off all cell communication except for the phones he chose, saving John and the POI from being incinerated by the sabotaged gas main the HR hit squad was trying to use to kill them and destroy the hotel floor they were on in the process.** Halfway through "Firewall", after Fusco and Carter discover they were WorkingTheSameCase, they come to the rescue, arresting all the HR guys on site. ** Later, when they're all chasing a car with some HR mooks who were able to get out of the parking garage, Reese tells Carter to slow down....and detonates the explosives that were kept in the HR vehicle beforehand, killing the occupants of the car. The utterly shocked looks of Carter and Fusco who DidntSeeThatComing make it even better.** When Nathan Ingram first reveals the Machine to Alicia Corwin and Denton Weeks, he gives them the first number, and refuses to divulge the Machine's secrets. Weeks attempts leverage by threatening to renegotiate the contract... and Alicia tells him that Nathan is selling the Machine to the US government for''' ''one dollar.'' '''[[/folder]]

[[folder:Season 2]]* In "Contingency" a neo-Nazi threatens Reese with an AngryGuardDog. Reese recognizes that it is a highly trained military dog and he worked with this type of guard dog before. He also knows that there are only three people in the world who train these dogs for the US military and they all train the dogs to obey commands in Dutch. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjTfHUH-yHs Reese shouts a few commands in Dutch]], the dog lies down, Reese gives the man a ''withering'' DeathGlare and a few seconds later the neo-Nazi is flying out a window.** Becomes a [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming CMoH]] when Reese basically adopts the dog.* Reese gets into a fist fight with one of the Neo Nazis. Said Neo Nazi is built like a small brick wall and Reese is getting his ass handed to him.-->'''Neo Nazi:''' You're an embarrassment to your race. When we rise up--->*unceremoniously shot in the back with a smoke grenade by black, female Detective Jocelyn Carter** The 'negotiation' with [[spoiler:the Machine]] in "The Contingency," when Reese basically blackmails it into helping him. It has actually been compared to a staring contest between two Mack trucks. The part that makes it ''really'' awesome? [[spoiler:Reese wins.]]** Reese managing to track down Root is a ''very'' impressive feat considering how skilled the woman is with computers, specially considering Reese had to act on his own, without Finch's help. ** Finch gets one for quickly getting John's attention in the train station and bravely jumping on Root's arm, causing her to miss when she attempts to shoot a bystander, and he does all this after Root pumped him with a sedative.* Fusco tracks down villain-of-the-week [[ScaryBlackMan Monty]] and goes BigDamnHeroes on his ass, saving the girl from a certain death. Monty recovers, puts him at gunpoint and mocks his bad shape "You think you can outrun me?", Fusco stares and answers with a [[GrinOfAudacity smile]] "Lemme mull that over for a second." [[spoiler: Cue Reese [[CarFu hitting him]] with a car]] and Fusco taunting back "Yep, pretty sure I can outrun you." Very impressive for the resident ButtMonkey.* "Give me three and a half minutes..." "There are at least ten guys in there!" "Alright...Four minutes."* "[[PreMortemOneLiner I'm not here for the money.]]"* "[[PreMortemOneLiner She's not hidin'.]]" *[[BigDamnHeroes BANG]]*. Fusco is starting to rack up quite a few of these. * In that same episode, Reese eliminates an assassin with the creative use of a nail gun.* Finch deciding to get the stolen laptop back in "C.O.D". While the two people involved in the sale are nowhere near the sorts of criminals he and Reese usually run in to, they at least ''try'' to intimidate the unassuming bespectacled man. The first is threatened by Bear, the second by Finch's frankly terrifying ability to collect information on who he is and where he lives. No need for explicit threats of violence, just the mere ''possibility'' that 'Albert' may be in bigger trouble than he [[TooDumbToLive bargained for]].* Finch hacks into the POI's electronically controlled ''prosthetic arm'' and manipulates it into leaving a GPS trail so they can track him. Added bonus points for doing it ''while riding on the back of a speeding motorcycle.'' * "2 Pi R"** Finch, posing as a [[CoolTeacher substitute math teacher,]] explaining the number pi to a room full of bored high school students:--> "... Which means that contained within this string of decimals is every single other number. Your birth date, combination to your locker, your Social Security number. It's all in there somewhere. and if you convert these decimals into letters, you would have every word that ever existed in every possible combination. The first syllable you spoke as a baby, the name of your latest crush. Your entire life story from beginning to end. Everything we ever say or do... all of the world's infinite possibilities rest within this one simple circle. Now, what you do with that information... what it's good for... well, that would be up to you."** And then later, when trying to convince [[spoiler: Caleb]] not to [[spoiler: kill himself to atone for getting his brother killed accidentally two years earlier]], we get this gem:--> "Your mistakes, like mine, are part of who you are now. You can't move on from that. Believe me. I've made a sizable number. But... sometimes your mistakes can surprise you. My biggest mistake, for instance... brought me here. At exactly this moment when you might need some help." [[spoiler: And the best part is that he succeeds.]]** [[spoiler: Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and TearJerker as Finch alludes to the events which separated him from his OnlyFriend and fiancée in the past, seeing himself in Caleb and not wanting him to make the same mistake like he did.]]* "Prisoner's Dilemma"** Finch dressing up as a false correctionals officer, complete with menacing-looking tear gas grenade launcher, to prepare to get Reese out of Rikers. Also, working on the fly to out-flank and out-match Donnelly's determined search for "The Man in the Suit".** Carter, interrogating one of the mercenaries and pushing his hot buttons just enough that he loses his temper and frames himself as "the Man in the Suit."** Fusco, DualWielding pistols [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold to save supermodel Karolína Kurková]]. He even [[ThrowTheDogABone gets a kiss and a "call me"]] for his trouble.* "Dead Reckoning"** [[spoiler: Agent Snow [[DyingMomentOfAwesome goes out with a bang]], [[TakingYouWithMe taking Stanton with him.]]]]** Finch gets an OffScreenMomentOfAwesome when he apparently climbs 21 flights of stairs in order to help John, despite the fact that he has a bad leg.** Also for defusing the bomb with only 0:07 seconds to spare!*** His BadassBoast before he starts is pretty good. -->'''Finch''': I have built some of the most complex computer systems in existence. '''I can certainly unlock a phone.'''* "One Percent"** A very minor one, but Logan Pierce (the number of the week) ''manages to sneak up on Reese''.* "Booked Solid"** Fusco taking out two highly trained killers in 3 seconds with a little misdirection and a few well placed hits.** Reese punching the SmugSnake hotel manager in the face.** Reese vs. Hersh.* "Relevance":** ISA agent Sameen Shaw gets lots of these over the course of the episode, but a standout is when she disarms a tactical team member, stuffs the man's flashbang grenade into his gas mask and sets it off, rides the man's body through the window down a two story drop, and then finally finishes the Mook off with her pistol. Reese gets his own offscreen moment during the same sequence when, immediately after being shot seven times in the body armor by Shaw's submachine gun, he immediately gets up and [[MookHorrorShow takes on a second tactical team]] to cover Shaw's escape. After Shaw gets outside we see her limping past two men that Reese had kneecapped on his way in.** Also, Wilson (Shaw's immediate boss) gets one during the same sequence, he is being shot at by Shaw (quite possibly the most dangerous person in the entire series after Reese) and all he does is stand there chewing gum. In the following scene he appears not even slightly fazed by the whole thing. ** At the climax, Shaw finally meets with the special counsel and Wilson. She calls Wilson out on stupidly taking a ContractOnTheHitman when other options were available to solve the problem and then resigns from the ISA in the most epic way possible by plugging Wilson in the chest and walks out with the AwesomeMusic "Future Starts Slow" kicking in. * Proteus has Finch [[spoiler: confronting a identity stealing-serial killer.]] NotSoStoic doesn't even begin to describe it.-->'''Man''': One day I'll stop when I find the person I'm meant to be.-->'''Finch''': ''[[FlatWhat What?]]'' [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech People like you don't stop! You can rationalize however you like, but you hurt people because you like it! Because you're SICK, maladjusted and you need help!]]** Finch's [[YouHaveNoIdeaWhoYoureDealingWith reaction]] to the killer's idea to take his identity:--> '''Finch''': "You're an amateur at this."* The POI in 'All In' gets one. [[spoiler: When he goes in to gamble and win back the money he lost from being a money launderer, he uses very, ''very'' impressive sleight of hand moves to continually win at Baccarat till he earns the money back. He used the same trick on Finch to avoid answering his questions and give him the slip.]]** And the capper, "Hey [[SmugSnake dumbass!]] [[KicktheSonofaBitch I cheated!]]" [[spoiler:He had used those skills to steal the bullet out of a gun right before being forced to play Russian Roulette.]]** Say what you will about Quinn, the fact that his plan for killing [[spoiler: Szymanski]] relies on being ''shot in the shoulder'', capped off with only letting out a small groan once he's hit... the man is fearless.* "Trojan Horse": It seemed like just everything about this episode was made of awesome.** For starters, Reese casually shoulder-checking the R&D boss to grab the USB stick for Finch. (Note: Finch was about to contrive a rather complicated plan to get the data on the stick until Reese announced he had a simpler way.)** Shaw sneaking up on Reese. And then sneaking up on Finch!** Reese had multiple moments of awesome, taking out three security mooks in rapid succession. * "In Extremis": Reese literally serving up some KarmicDeath to this episodes villain. ** Simmons is gob smacked when he finds Carter has moved Stills corpse, utterly wiping the smug grin on his face when he was about to get Fusco arrested for Stills murder. * "Zero Day" features Reese and Shaw, side-by-side, opening a can of whupass upon some Decima Technolgies thugs. It's specially good when Reese ends up locked in a fist-fight with a GiantMook at the end of the line. ** On the villains end, one must admire Greer for staying completely preoccupied as [[OneManArmy Reese]] ''[[BackToBackBadasses and]]'' [[OneManArmy Shaw]] come blasting in. He even greets them politely, not even slightly threatened by the fact these two unstoppable former US Government Hitmen are pointing guns at his unarmed self and have every reason to gun him down. * "God Mode": ** Carter has to endure some gloating by [[spoiler: Terney who threatens to murder her son if she tries to hunt down HR.]] She stays quiet, but once he leaves, reveals she's taken advantage of his stupidity by force-pairing his phone. ** Reese and Shaw casually dispatching the "irrelevant" perpetrator at the wedding and protecting the "irrelevant" victim of the Russian mob, all the while being guided by The Machine.** Earlier, at the pay phone, the Machine warns Reese where the Decima goons are coming from. Reese casually oneshots them. Yes, the Machine is calling out their positions, but it's still dark and Reese is using a pistol with just iron sights. And every single one of his bullets is an incapacitating shot.*** ...and if that's not awesome enough, he's left-handed, but he's shooting with his right (non-dominant) hand because he's holding the phone in his left. ** Root also gets a similar ability and is able to actually command the machine to customize hers. ** When the Northern Lights operators attempt to ambush her and Harold, she's quicker on the draw and manages to survive going up against the EliteMooks of the POI universe. ** Root finding out Finch had set the machine free, causing the SmugSnake ManipulativeBastard to truly break down for the first time in the season. ** Finch having made [[spoiler: the virus that Decima was using to try to take The Machine down, and subverting it. Finch knew that sooner or later someone would try to gain control of the machine and infect it with a virus... so what Finch is that he sent his own virus into the world, and built it so that it would allow the Machine to protect itself. That's right, Finch played Decima into vaccinating the Machine for him!]]** Finch gets a grudgingly [[VillainRespect respectful description from none other than Special Counsel who has multiple hit squads and similar hacking technology at his beck and call]] that is pretty badass and shows what it looks like to be up against Finch.-->"I always knew there was someone behind Ingram -- like a black hole -- invisible, but powerful."** How Finch deals with the whole situation. He knows Root thinks of his concern for others is a weakness, so he claims he will cooperate with her if she does not kill innocents. He is well aware of the 'bigger picture' but allows Root to continue thinking he was 'stupid' enough to leave the Machine undefended so that he can confirm what he hoped had happened; that the Machine had freed itself. When Special Counsel tries to bargain with him, Harold points out just how badly the Northern Lights representative has underestimated the scale of the situation (the emergence of artificial intelligence). And then simply states that they - himself, Reese, Shaw and Root - are all leaving.[[/folder]]

[[folder: Season 3a]]* "Liberty": ** Carter reveals she's been busy tracking down and identifying the members of HR so she can target them in her revenge, an impressive feat considering, she's only had cooperation from [[spoiler: the weakened Elias organization]], and hasn't relied on John and Harold who would have the technical capabilities to do it instantly for her. ** Reese's style of hostage negotiation leaves a team of Mexican Drug Cartel members in a fatal car crash and a consul official's son alive. ** Shaw's first job as a member of Team Machine. We think she's having some time out but when gunmen in black SUV's pull in front of the horse and carriage she's in with the POI, she pulls off an excellent GunsAkimbo, eliminating the Mooks before they can open fire. ** The [=POI=]'s introductory scene, where he responds to a threat by calmly giving a play-by-play of the BarBrawl that's about to ensue. Even Reese is impressed.** Fusco disarming the bomb. Bear in mind, he's not trained in bomb disposal and yet with John's scant advice succeeds in defusing it, saving R.J.** John casually strolling into the jewelery store during a Mexican Standoff.-->''I'm sorry, is this place closed?''** Shaw [[ImprobableAimingSkills casually picking off]] Russians with the sniper rifle, while keeping up a barrage of [[DeadpanSnarker one-liners,]] during the final confrontation:-->''If you're going to ambush somebody use a muzzle suppressor. Losers.''-->''In the arm, through a brick wall, in the dark. You're welcome.''** Root drives a hard bargain with her therapist. When he takes away the cellphone, she lays out several unsavoury facts she had no way of knowing in order to creep him out and prove that the machine is talking to her. * "Nothing To Hide": Say what you want about [[spoiler:Peter Collier]], but his elegantly destructive scheme to destroy the POI is relatively admirable in it's execution. * "Lady Killer":** Shaw and Carter taking out the two hit men. ** Root, with The Machine's help, blasts her way through her mental asylum. The machine helps give her the correct mixture of pharmaceuticals she needs to put together a quick knockout gas, which she uses to eliminate the asylum's security. Then in a gigantic shoot out, Root successfully holds off Hersh, who was trying to kill her, getting the better of him, and escaping.*** Bonus awesomeness for reacting two seconds before Hersh stepped into the corridor catching him off guard and forcing him to go into cover and then shooting Hersh behind her back, relying on the Machine for aiming, qualifying for CrazyAwesome. * "Reasonable Doubt":** Finch and Reese getting Bear to act for all the world like a sick dog so they could have a reason to be at their veterinarian's in time to save her. In a perfectly coordinated CurbStompBattle, the team wipes out the criminals who were trying to rob the Veternarian. Bear acquits himself well, taking out the final hostile who was using the POI as a HumanShield.** Fusco grabbing the letter opener from Shaw without a thought as to whether his own safety was at risk.** A extremely fed up Reese lets the armed AssholeVictim POI and her husband to kill each other, placing a pistol on the table for the unarmed husband to grab. Led to by his beautiful quote: -->"I'm in the business of stopping bad things from happening. I'm not sure what's about to happen here is a bad thing." ** The icing on the cake is when Reese unties the mooring line of the POI's yacht, letting it drift away and walking off as two gunshots ring out.* "Razgovor": ** The ten year old POI who's an amateur expert in spying spots Shaw, the trained professional conducting surveillance on her. This gets a laugh from Reese. -->'''Reese:''' Finch, you're not going to believe this. Shaw just got made by a ten year old''** The [=PoI=] conducts her own amateur surveillance operation on a bunch of criminals and records hours of tapes outlining the criminal alliance between the Bratva and HR. Normally, something like this would be the crowning achievement of an FBI taskforce and she did it on her own using an old tape recorder.** Carter delivers a superb TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to her BitchInSheepsClothing partner who she knew from the beginning was an HR mole, points out she's made sure his mission was a failure by feeding him mostly false information, kills his associate (who was trying to shoot her) with her partner's personal handgun, and blackmails him into serving her. The shocked look on his face as he realises the tables have been turned makes it all the more satisfying after he previously delivered a venomous MotiveRant.-->'''Carter:''' You don't work for HR anymore, son. You work for ''me'' ** Shaw interrogates the [=POI's=] drug-addled cousin Vadim, who's been neglectful of Gen and gave her up to the Russian Mafia, using the promise of more drugs to entice his cooperation. After getting what she wants, Shaw pours out some powder on the glass coffee table and hands Vadim a rolled-up dollar bill so he can get a snort--and then smashes his face into the coffee table, leaving him in a messy heap in the wreckage of his apartment. ** Finch and Shaw destroying a drug lab:-->'''Shaw:''' How much do you know about chemistry?-->'''[[PsychoticSmirk Finch]]:''' ''[[StuffBlowingUp ...Enough.]]''** Reese vs Simmons. ** [[OhCrap Did you miss me?]]** Shaw completely ignoring her injuries for most of the episode, and when she ''does'' finally treat them? She does so by raiding an ambulance, taking out Russian thugs, and then forcibly extracting the head Russian's blood. Then she calls Simmons and and forces him to put the girl on.* "Mors Praematura"** Root's entire scheme.*** Credit where credit is due, Root was just following orders (admittedly with her usual flair). The entire plan was the ''Machine'' herself being TheChessmaster. ** The Machine also gets points for becoming exponentially better at her predictions. Almost a day before it went down, she predicted Collier and Vigilance would snatch the POI and assassinate his hacker brother, so she arranged for Root to be turned in to the CIA, arranged an escape route and new life for the hacker, alerted Team Machine to the POI, prompted Root to put aside a backup gun... The Machine is showing the makings of becoming an excellent schemer. And it was almost elegant the way it arranged to take care of Collier's group from two directions - and so while Collier was so focused on Reese, he didn't see Shaw and Root coming. ** The ambush itself was full of awesome. Initially things go well for Vigilance with Collier using some exploding paint cans to crash the CIA prisoner transport. He's then able to pin down Reese with his gun while his men get to work hunting for their target. However, Reese begins to fight back while Root, who's broken out of the prisoner transport and packed her own machine pistol under a park bench recovers it and begins mowing down much of the Vigilance hit squad, even trading shots with Collier in slow motion when they go for the Sloan brothers. Later she gets cornered by the survivors of the Vigilance team but they notice she's beaming even when they have her dead to rights. Cue Shaw pulling a BigDamnHeroes moment and gunning them down from behind. ** Shaw makes a wielding torch out of Spaghetti and an oxygen bottle. ** Shaw's reaction to hearing her job with Root is done. She promptly punches Root in the jaw knocking her out. ** Finch's ShutUpHannibal to Root, after she accuses him of going against the Machine's wishes by keeping her captive. He makes her ''doubt'' the Machine.* "The Perfect Mark"** [[PreAssKickingOneLiner "Terney."]][[/folder]]

[[folder: The Fallen Hero and the Endgame Trilogy]]* In its own way, the entire Endgame Trilogy is an ode and love letter to the awesomeness that is Detective Jocelyn Carter, and how one person can change so much around them.* "Endgame"** Carter pulling off her TheChessmaster act to brilliance. [[spoiler: She conducts a complex series of false flag operations trying to start a war between the Russian Mafia and HR in order to get revenge for the events of Season 2, and it works!]] Leaving the head of HR in a floundering mess and the Yogorov family crying for blood. ** She gets Carl Elias to deliver her intelligence on the [[spoiler: 38 HR members to the current head of the Yogorov family]] and he even cooks pasta for the man who has every reason to kill him and lives. ** The highlight of Carter's scheming is when using a sniper rifle [[spoiler: she attacks Quinn in his office in broad daylight in order to goad him into making a mistake by making him believe the Russian Mafia is gunning for him]] And when he tries to have some Russian Mafia hitman executed, [[spoiler: she places a phone call to the FBI]] drastically compromising the security of HR. ** Carter sadly seemingly grips the IdiotBall in the end [[spoiler: and walks into an ambush when trying to legally arrest Quinn.]] But she even prepared for that eventuality and arranged for Harold to listen in on her confrontation with Quinn by hacking his cellphone [[spoiler: allowing Reese to burst in at the right moment, intervene and extract Carter and Quinn leaving several HR officers kneecapped in their wake]]* "The Crossing" ** Shaw saves Lee Fusco by uncerimoniously shooting his would be killer. -->'''Shaw:''' Lionel? It is going to be okay.** Villainous one for Officer Patrick Simmons. He may not be an ex-CIA assassin but he gives Team Machine a serious run for their money with his strategic use of HR's resources and criminal contacts when hunting down Reese, Carter and Quinn.** Fusco telling off Simmons et al:-->'''Simmons:''' From the size and shape of this key, I'd say it opens up a safe deposit box.-->'''Fusco:''' It's my locker at the Y. You're welcome to my dirty jock. ** After being upstaged and repeatedly being treated as the resident ButtMonkey for most of Season 3, Fusco [[spoiler: breaks out of his restraints and crushes the windpipe of the HR officer who was about to kill him and does so while severely beaten up and with broken fingers.]] -->'''Petersen:''' [[spoiler:Oh, I forgot, we broke your fingers.]]\\'''Fusco:''' [[spoiler:Yeah, you did. Which made it no big deal for me to break my thumb. *slips his broken hand out of his cuffs*]]** Finch readily goes out into the field and with the smooth use of a taser and getting John arrested, he succeeds in saving Reese from the final HR officer gunning for him. ** Carter's operation to destroy HR actually succeeds and she even gets reappointed as a detective. [[spoiler: But then things take a turn for the worse when Simmons ambushes her along with John.]] She also notably gets herself a yellow box, deducing the existence of The Machine, making her only the third person to do so. ** However, she actually steps in the way of several bullets [[spoiler: aimed at John that would have killed him, and sacrifices her life in the process]]** Even as she goes down [[spoiler: Carter is still able to draw her Glock 19 and return fire, driving off Simmons and wounding him with one of her shots in the process]]* "The Devil's Share"** The entire opening, set to Johnny Cash's cover of [[AwesomeMusic Hurt]]. It is a phenomenal piece of cinematography, suceeding in conveying the emotions all the characters are going through, without any sound, just the pictures and the music.** Despite their TearJerker nature, John's violent antics are pretty impressive especially [[spoiler: since he's conducting them hours after being shot and is slowly bleeding to death.]]*** John's stone cold, bone-chilling speech to [[spoiler: Quinn:]]--> '''John:''' You do what you say. So do I. I'm not gonna threaten to kill you. I'm going to kill you... whether you tell me or not. No bargaining. In three minutes... you're dead. I've killed many people. Never bothered me much. That's why I was good at it. I didn't like them suffering, though. Took me years to figure out how to do it quickly, painlessly. But if you don't tell me, I'm gonna forget all that, understand? And I'll make the last three minute of your life last forever.** Fusco vs Simmons. It's not as one-sided as the beating Reese gave Simmons five episodes earlier, but Fusco wasn't nearly as well trained and was fighting with one hand in a cast, and still took him down. ** Points in particular for using the bullet wound Carter inflicted in the previous episode to gain an edge over Simmons. Fusco immediately starts attacking it when the fight begins. *** Arguably the most awesome part of the episode.-->'''Fusco:''' [[MirandaRights Patrick Simmons, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say...]]** His preceding speech is just as brilliant, if not entirely [[TearJerker tear jerking:]]--> '''Fusco:''' [[spoiler:That's just it. I could've been just like you, a bottom-feeder who turns on his own kind. For what? Money, power? I got lucky. I had a partner. She was good for me. For a lot of reasons. She reminded me that I could be good again too. I could be a good father, a good friend. A good cop. I'm not gonna let you undo all the good she did. Carter saved my life. She...she saved me from myself. Because she believed in me. And I'm not gonna throw that away on a piece of crap like you.]]** Root utilises her "Analogue Interface" status to the fullest extent, disabling multiple Russian thugs with a epic use of GunsAkimbo and ImprobableAimingSkills, even impressing Shaw. ** [[spoiler:Elias and Scarface]] take the time to deal with [[spoiler:Simmons]] permanently when he's trapped on a hospital bed. *** Topped by the magnificent final conversation between [[spoiler:Simmons and Elias]]:--> [[spoiler:'''Elias:''']] Well, there remains a debt. Civilization rests on the principle that we treat our criminals better than they treated their victims. That we not stoop to their level. But you and I are outliers. We're not really a part of civilization. We're something... older. Which means, of course, that we can do the things that civilized people can't. I offered to kill you for [[spoiler:Detective Carter]] many times, and she always said no. She was civilized to the very end. I don't think she liked me. But I liked her very much. [[spoiler:And you killed her.]] So now I consider it my responsibility to fix the particular problem that is you, [[spoiler: Officer Simmons.]]--> [[spoiler:'''Simmons:''']] You really think you're going to be the one to kill me?--> [[spoiler:'''Elias:''']] [[SlasherSmile No.]] No, my friend is going to kill you. I'm just going to watch.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Season 3b]]* "Lethe"** [[spoiler: Fusco vs. Reese. Fusco is sick and tired of Reese's trip over the DespairEventHorizon when he starts spouting borderline nihilistic stuff about how nothing matters. So Fusco throws him out of the bar where he was [[DrowningMySorrows drinking]] and fights him. Yes, Fusco gets the worse of it (there's that whole problem of fighting someone who's a better fighter than you), but the fact that he can still keep up with Reese just shows how Fusco has grown.]]** [[spoiler: [[BiggerBad Control's]] reveal. Elias would be proud.]] ** A modest one for Shaw. With Team Machine short-handed, she's forced on close protection duty for Harold and Arthur and performs respectably [[spoiler: (until being surprised by the equally competent and numerically superior ISA unit)]], successfully fending off an attack by a Vigilance hit-squad who have the firepower advantage, through speed and decent marksmanship. * "Aletheia"--> '''Root''': You're too late. [[spoiler: The Machine's already talking. You're too old; older than forty. You can't hear sound above fifteen kilohertz... but I can. With the ear I've got left. My friend's been beeping Morse code at that frequency since you brought your phone in here. She's been talking to me the whole time, telling me about you. You're scared of me... even with all these guards watching. By the way, that one has a bum knee. You're so scared of me, that you hid a knife in your pocket. I couldn't reach it. ''Until you got close enough to cut me...'']]** After the fiasco in Season 2 [[spoiler: Greer makes his triumphant return]] successfully screwing over Northern Lights, Vigilance and Team Machine [[spoiler: while making off with the Samaritan Drives.]]** The random Vigilance mook that was cornered by Hersh quotes the American Revolution and attempts a TakingYouWithMe with a grenade.-->'''Hersh:''' Where are the drives?\\'''Mook:''' ''(Pulls the pin on a grenade behind his back)'' "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. ''(Smiles and shows the grenade)''\\''Cue explosion.''** Fusco continues his streak and delivers a borderline ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Reese in jail.** [[spoiler: Hersh managing to take down [[BadassAbnormal Root]].]]** [[spoiler:The Machine telling Control who's in charge, using Root as a translator.]]-->'''[[spoiler:The Machine/Root:]]''' I don't belong to anyone anymore. You, however, are mine. I protect you. The only thing you love lives at 254 Wendell Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts. I guard it, same as I guard you. Do not question my judgment. Do not pursue me, or my agents. Trust in me. I am always watching. * "4C"** The Machine gets one for being able to manipulate Reese's flight schedule and alert him to a PoI, all without Finch's intervention.** Reese's fight with the two assassins.*** The whole episode was a CMOA for Reese.** Shaw unnerving the "Facilitator" Foster. Her speech just ''screams'' awesome from the moment she walks in.-->'''Foster:''' We were just closing.\\'''Shaw:''' Of course you were. Because who the hell uses a travel agency anymore? ''(Cue OhCrap face from Foster)'' i must've gotten 100 itineraries from this place, but I never actually thought it existed. The Activity bothers to keep a storefront with...posters and... dead plants - charming.\\'''Foster:''' I'm afraid I don't know what you'retalking about -\\'''Shaw:''' ''(Walks up to Foster's desk)'' Oh, you're right to be afraid. 'Cause I've done a little reverse engineering since Catalyst tried to kill me. Made a list, checked it twice, who's naughty, who's nice, and you definitely haven't played nice. ''(Foster gulps)'' It's nice to meet you in person, Foster. I'd introduce myself, but you already know my name. Say it. I'll wait.\\'''Foster:''' Shaw.\\'''Shaw:''' Good. And my partner?\\'''Foster:''' Cole.\\'''Shaw:''' And you're the facilitating son of a bitch who sent us to New York from Berlin. You booked the reservations, but I'm the only one who made it back alive.** Finch remote-controlling an entire ''jumbo jet'', and landing it safely.** "While I'm in Italy, I thought I would get [[HesBack fitted for a new suit."]]* "Provenance"** Jiao Lin cutting herself loose from her bonds while Finch was talking to her.** Lionel Fusco being able to secure architectural drawings and plans, then smoothly maneuvering targets of the scam Harold wants to pull off just through normal, routine-seeming police procedures.** And then Finch maneuvering the security company via hacks and some social engineering with Jiao's help.** Reese doing his usual DynamicEntry as a OneManArmy to rescue Jiao's daughter.* "Last Call"** The POI - a 911 operator - talks down a panicking girl trapped in a sinking car and gives her a way out - kicking out a specific spot on the car window with the heel of her pump.** Finch's LetsGetDangerous speech to the last assassin.-->"Before you make a grave error of judgment, permit me to describe what I have in my hand. It's a severed electrical cable connected to this generator. Current is running through it at ten times the amperage required for electrocution. All I have to do is drop it in that water, and within three seconds, the muscles in your heart will fibrillate. Now, I'm not a violent man but not only have you tried to harm this young woman and an innocent child, you have shut down a 911 call center in one of the more dangerous cities in the country. So now there are two things that will keep me from ending your life right now. First, I want you to drop the gun. Second, [[ItMakesSenseInContext I need to hear the sound of your voice]]."** Not quite as awesome, but definitely a levelling-up for Fusco: casually fielding numerous questions with some AwesomenessByAnalysis-->'''Fusco:''' Wrong edge. Wound was serrated, remember?-->'''Detective Kane:''' Suspect's guilty as hell, but we can't get his DNA without a warrant.\\'''Fusco:''' Ever heard of dumpster diving, Kane?-->'''Detective Harrison:''' Tara Cooke, 29. Found by the East River yesterday morning. Head bashed in, wallet stolen. Mugging gone bad, right?\\(after initially brushing off Harrison)\\'''Fusco:''' See these bruises? Livor mortis. Happens when a body stays in one place, okay? Tara was found on her right side. These bruises are on the left. And look: forensics found industrial carpet fibers stuck in the wound. But she wasn't wrapped up in any carpet.\\'''Harrison:''' ''(realization)'' Body was moved.** Reese and Shaw working together to storm the place Aaron was being held - and than as Reese defuses the bomb, Shaw efficiently mops up.* "RAM"** The wounded Decima Technologies employee held captive by Reese and Kara decided to kill himself when he jumped out of the abandoned office floor rather than squealing out to them about his boss, Greer.** Shaw shows up at the end of the episode to slaughter the Chinese MSS officers and kill Dillinger, at one point even causing one of their getaway vehicles to spectacularly crash. If Finch had not managed to keep hidden, it's likely that she would have canceled the series before it even began.--> '''Special Counsel:''' Our agent arrived and neutralised him, then proceeded to dispatch several others.** Finch recognizing the code of the machine and plotting the ''virus within a virus'' used by Decima ''on the fly.''* "/"** This entire episode was one for Root.*** Including, but not limited to, gunning down an entire lobby full of Decima mooks with GunsAkimbo, [[DissonantSerenity without ever breaking stride]], shooting many [[ImprobableAimingSkills without even looking at them]].** Reese vs. Vigilance goons in Cyrus' apartment.** Shaw is confronted by Collier and his Vigilance henchmen. Collier offers her a chance to join Vigilance, but Shaw turns him down saying that he's nothing more than a terrorist, [[PreAssKickingOneLiner and she kills terrorists]].** Greer once again gets [[ChessMaster everything he wants.]]* "Allegiance"** Reese casually commandeering the truck that was supposed to deliver Omar to the airport, and casually shoving the other driver out the door before peeling out. ** Lionel Fusco is a mere NYPD Cop going up against ''French Legionnaires'' you'd think he'd be completely out of his league. You'd be ''wrong''. -->'''Fusco''' (''after punching a evil UN officer''): "[[OneLiner Figure. Turns out diplomatic immunity doesn't stop you from bleedin']]."*** And just before that:-->'''Fusco''': [[PreAssKickingOneLiner Excusez-moi!]]** Root shows that she's learned a thing or two when [[spoiler: Greer finds several ways to increasingly reduce the effectiveness of The Machine]]. She uses Bear to [[spoiler: track the man down the old fashioned way via his scent and it works]]** Credit also to Greer, who has a counter for every single plan Root uses. [[spoiler: Yes, even Bear. He anticipated she would use Bear to track him, and so arranges to confront her with his men ready in a crossfire.]]* "Most Likely To..."** Reese delivering a beatdown on "Phil", who earlier mocked him about his swiftness of fighting speed. After clocking the man with a heavy can of hamburger beef, he says: "How's ''that'' for fast?"** Shaw and Reese delivering an effective one-two punch on the last Vigilance assassin, with Shaw launching an improvised explosive at him, and Reese nailing the mook with his last bullet. ** Vigilance in general for this episode [[spoiler: Even with the failure to kill Reese and Shaw, they managed to take out a POI at the start of the episode and acquire damning evidence of the existence of the Northern Lights Project]]** Collier gets one by trying a more cunning approach in eliminating [[spoiler: Northern Lights who decimated his people in a straight fight back in "Alethea"]]. He sends the [[spoiler: compromising documents about the project]] to the media creating a massive public scandal and forcing [[spoiler: Control's superior to have her put the organization on a permanent hiatus.]]* "Death Benefit"** [[BigDamnHeroes "You guys going my way?"]]** [[OffScreenMomentofAwesome Root and Shaw's destruction of a militant group in Alaska and some arms dealers in Miami.]]* "Beta"** [[PreAssKickingOneLiner "A little late for the flu shot"]] kicks off Reese and Shaw's excellent double-teaming of a Decima assassin to save [[spoiler:Grace]].** Lionel Fusco, Sameen Shaw, and John Reese working as a well-oiled team to waylay Decima's mook masquerading as an FBI agent:-->'''Shaw:''' (Who has presented a detective shield) [[SarcasmMode And you just happen to know she's here.]] ("she" being [[spoiler:Grace]])-->'''Maybank:''' I have a warrant. It's notarized.-->'''Shaw:''' That's a cute trick, but you ain't getting anywhere.-->'''Fusco:''' (walking up) Is there a problem, Detective? ''(beat)'' Lieutenant Fusco.-->'''Maybank:''' Special Agent Maybank.-->'''Fusco:''' Oh, of course. We were just about to question your suspect. I had a feeling she was tied to something bigger. Now, if you like, I can bring her to you in the interrogation room. ''(leads Maybank to a room)'' Right this way. It'll just be a second.-->'''Maybank:''' Thank you. (turns to notice Reese lurking behind the door)-->(Fusco, holding the doorknob on the other side, is wearing a huge grin as the subtitles indicate: "Blows thudding, man grunting".)** Root Macguyvering an induction coil to overload the police station cameras, then setting off an explosion to hide the unmarked getaway car speeding away from the police station (and incidentally, Decima's sniper team).** "If they harm her, in any way, kill them all". ** Grace gets one when she all but tells [[BigBad Greer]] to [[ShutUpHannibal go screw himself]] when [[BerserkButton he implies that Harold lied to her.]]--> '''Grace:''' I don't know who you are or how this ends, but we're done here.* "A House Divided"** [[spoiler: Vigilance [[OutGambitted outplays]] everyone, including The Machine, and takes Finch, Greer and Control prisoner.]] * "Deus Ex Machina" ** Decima Technologies and John Greer get so many during this episode due to an epic BatmanGambit which leaves all their enemies dead or on the run and the company having achieved all its operational objectives. ** Firstly Greer [[spoiler: turns the tables on Peter Collier who seemingly held all the cards, when his operatives arrive and kill most of Colliers men. Greer then reveals that Vigilance was created by Decima as a FalseFlagOperation, twists the knife by telling Collier he was the one who sent the mysterious text messages which caused Coller to become a terrorist and after a few more seconds of gloating, has Lambert, his subordinate, blow him away]] ** Secondly Decima [[spoiler: conducts their own bombing, giving a pretext to have Samaritan implemented. As a result of this, they achieve substantial influence over American counter-terrorist efforts, are in a position to subvert the world's most powerful nation in a quest for world domination and now have the ability to eliminate any potential threats such as Team Machine]] ** Finally because of Decima's actions [[spoiler: Team Machine is forced to evacuate the library, adopt new cover identities and split up, making it considerably difficult for them to oppose Decima]]** Control gets one for being the only "defendant" who repeatedly lampshades what an absurdity the KangarooCourt is, points out the rights that Vigilance must allow Finch to have, and then refuses to play along with Collier's show. All of which visibly upsets him. --> '''Control''': "As a sworn officer of the US government, I can neither confirm nor deny anything pertaining to this matter. And I will say the same damn thing to every other question until the moment you put that gun to my head and pull the trigger." ** She further demolishes Collier's attempts at portraying himself as a good guy [[spoiler: by recounting her experience on 9/11 where she was nearly killed by the plane which demolished a portion of the Pentagon.]] --> '''Control''': "Where were you when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon? Because I was inside it. I carried out the wounded. I covered up bodies. And I have spent every day since putting bullets in the people responsible, and in anyone else who even thinks they can do that to our country again. You wanna shoot me because I had to tap a few phone calls, read a few e-mails? Then, you go right ahead. But you better turn that gun on yourself next, Mr. Collier, because you have broken just as many laws, and the only difference is I didn't wrap myself up in the American flag, and try to convince people that I was a hero."** And when Collier finally has enough and [[spoiler: tries to kill her with his Shotgun, the look she gives essentially dares him to pull the trigger]] ** Hersh gets one for [[spoiler: surviving several gunshots, and attempting to defuse the bomb Decima has set up]]. He may [[spoiler: have failed but points for trying to the bitter end to do his job]] ** Special mention to the ending montage on how effectively it hammered home just how much [[spoiler: Decima emerged the victor of the season]] Set to the tune of the AwesomeMusic Radiohead's "Exit Music For A Film", [[spoiler: the montage cuts from Finch and Reese evacuating the library as Samaritan dispatches an NYPD ESU SWAT team to storm the building, the Vigilance group being subjected to ThePurge by Decima assets and law enforcement, the members of Team Machine sharing final looks with each other as they depart to places unknown and as the music begins to swell, we get to see the full power of Samaritan unveiled, with it racking up "Deviants" to be terminated in the future. It then closes with the money shot of Greer strolling into the room and asking Samaritan for commands. Heartbreaking? Yes. A DownerEnding? Completely.]] But successfully capping off the biggest villainous CrowningMomentOfAwesome of the season and driving home [[spoiler: just how much our heroes have lost and showing that the game in Person Of Interest has been changed forever in an epic fashion?]] Absolutely.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Season 4]]* "Panopticon":** [[spoiler: The Machine gets one for getting the heroes involved in the perfect case to get them back in the game and able to communicate without worrying about Samaritan listening in.]] ** The multi-pronged strike on the bad guys of the week. [[spoiler: With Reese's new grenade launcher, sniper fire from Shaw and even a dump truck, courtesy of Marconi, Team Machine shows they're back in a big way]]** [[spoiler: The Machine finally convinces Harold to stop sulking. It does this by guiding Harold to the perfect base of operations by reminding him through purposely inserted spelling mistakes in his "thesis", of an old 1930s/1940s-era book about the then-extant New York subway and water system.]]* "Nautilus":** [[spoiler:Credit must be given to the POI of this episode, who solved Samaritan's code and was recruited by it as an asset.]] ** Fusco cracks a Samaritan puzzle in less than 10 seconds.* "Wingman": ** Reese performs a long distance kneecapping on a moving target from several meters away with no civilian casualties. ** When Harold [[spoiler: chickens out of the rocket launcher sale]] Root salvages the situation by [[spoiler: conducting a rapid mass kneecapping of several murderous Latvian mobsters.]] The best part is that the Machine apparently deduced this would happen with a fairly high degree of confidence.** When Fusco's professional wingman, Andre, makes eyes at a girl who already has a date, the boyfriend in question attempts to attack Andre. Cue two punches from Fusco, dropping the jealous boyfriend.*** Followed up by Fusco's massive haymaker to take down the episodes villain.* "Brotherhood":** TheReveal of Dominic's true identity.** Fusco continues to build his impressive resume of BigDamnHeroes moments.-->'''Fusco:''' Nice to meet ya.* "Prophets":** Root vs. Martine. Martine is in "God Mode" communicating directly with Samaritan for directions and where to aim, and Root relies on her own skill with guns, MoreDakka (she takes four handguns), and the element of surprise with a gas grenade. A significant portion of the fight occurs with the two unable to even see each other, shooting through a roof and ceiling. While Martine gets the best of Root due to God Mode, Root is able to save the [=PoI=] by getting Samaritan confused between targeting her or him. ** Points to Rousseau in particular. [[spoiler: She's the first Decima Technologies employee who lasted more than a second against a member of Team Machine, who in previous seasons tore through them like a blowtorch through butter]]. She also managed to match [[spoiler: the normally omnipotent Root shot for shot, with only one gun and Root trying to stack the deck against her with four handguns and a gas grenade, and even manages to score two hits]] ** Root didn't do badly as well, [[spoiler:taking two bullets like a champ, and managing to confuse the hell out of Samaritan by successfully baiting it into being forced to prioritize between killing her or the POI.]]** Going by the dates in the flashback scenes, Harold didn't just build the world's first true AI, he built the first ''43'' true [=AIs=]... in ''three and a half months''.*** Not just that, but the very first one he wrote was completed in only ''one month and one day''.*** And we later learn that he did all this [[spoiler:while also inventing his own operating system and programming language]].* "Pretenders":** Armed with only a Glock 17, Reese holds off a hostile armed with one of the most sophisticated weapons in development a Barrett [=XM109=].** Finch, in full GuileHero mode, fakes an {{Adorkable}} friendship and ''stages a robbery'' to implant spyware on the computer of an UnwittingPawn of Samaritan.** Scarface and his men coming to back up Reese and Fusco.** Dominic very calm response to Elias comparing himself to a frozen river roaring back to life.-->'''Dominic:''' A man is not a river. And you... are not a King.** Elias has an understated moment of awesome in setting up the meeting. Nobody knows who Dominic is - but Elias managed to identify him.%%* "Honor Among Thieves":%%* "Point of Origin": * "The Devil You Know":** The trailers for the episode may have been NightmareFuel inducing but Shaw forces [[spoiler: Martine to work hard in trying to kill her, instead of being a pushover]]. When the shooting starts, Sameen ducks, breaks out a [[spoiler: FN-P90 submachine gun]] and when she comes up, forces the seemingly invulnerable [[spoiler: Samaritan asset to dive for cover.]] ** Elias and Marconi throughout much of the episode. Both of them live up to their reputations and for much of the episode keep up with Reese. ** But the icing on the cake would have to be Scarface's [[spoiler: DyingMomentOfAwesome]] Having been caught by [[spoiler: Link and his thugs]] and knowing that there is no way out for him, he gets his boss [[spoiler: to provide a special code for a safe they're trying to access.]] Unfortunately for [[spoiler: the Brotherhood gunmen, Elias provides them the code which activates a hidden explosive instead of opening the safe, killing Marconi]], but taking them down in the ensuring blast. ** Lieutenant Fusco continues to prove he's New York's finest by successfully stonewalling and hoodwinking [[spoiler: Martine Rousseau]]** After Elias [[spoiler:gives them the wrong code to the safe and blows up the entire floor,]] Dominic is furious.-->'''Dominic:''' You think that changes anything? I've still won.-->'''Elias:''' *with a gun pointed at his head* Then why aren't you smiling?* "The Cold War":** The whole episode could easily constitute as one for [[spoiler:Samaritan.]]** The sit down between [[spoiler:the two machines.]] Never has been two people talking together been so highly effective since [[Film/{{Heat}} Pacino and De-Niro met for some coffee]].* "If-Then-Else":** The Machine earns its {{Chessmaster}} credentials. [[spoiler:Running almost a million scenarios in 13 seconds in an attempt to save all its assets.]] Not to mention [[spoiler: prepairing a valid option to prevent the destruction of the global economy which Team Machine could use]]** In [[spoiler: scenario number 2, Lambert has to shoot Reese several times just to subdue him as the latter is clawing for the keyboard]]. As he lays dying however [[spoiler: John reveals he swiped a hand grenade Lambert had brought along, producing a beautiful OhCrap expression as Reese disengages the pin and massacres part of the Decima squad.]]** Reese and Martine exchange threats.-->'''Martine:''' Last time I saw you was in a church. Should have prayed a little harder.-->'''Reese:''' I go to hell, I'm {{taking you with me}}.** Team Machine's chances of survival are at 1% and dropping. Then [[spoiler:Shaw]] arrives and their odds start rapidly increasing. In a combined effort, [[spoiler:Shaw lobs the suicide vest and slaughters almost all of Martine's hit-squad while those who survived the explosion get cut down in Shaw and Root's]] barrage. * "Control-Alt-Delete":** John and Root try their hand at vehicle interdiction [[spoiler: by using their [=AT4=] launcher on Control's SUV]]** The ISA continue to prove that they are the EliteMooks of the POI universe. A prime example is Devon keeping up with John in a fist-fight. *** John put up a good fight too. Even after being shot the previous episode, he effortlessly guns down 2 mooks who try to ambush him and comes out on top in his hand to hand against Devon. ** Finch's [[TranquilFury stone cold]] ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Control. The sheer ''contempt'' in his voice is glorious. -->'''Finch:''' You foolish woman. You don’t understand. You’re not in control of anything. You’re just a clean-up crew. You’re the janitor.-->'''Control:''' Speaking of janitors… here come a few now.-->'''Finch:''' You say that like we weren’t expecting them** Control briefly gets the upper hand on Finch during the interrogation.-->'''Control:''' You think she's dead. You think Shaw is dead, and you don’t have the guts to tell them.** Control's refusal to buy to bullshit that Samaritan is selling, even at the start of the episode.-->'''Control:''' What's our source material on these backpack bombers?-->'''Travers:''' [[BlatantLies That Samaritan is never wrong.]] -->'''Control:''' *unamused* What's our source material on these backpack bombers?%%* "M.I.A.":* "Guilty":** Fusco, to Reese, demanding to be kept in the loop with Team Machine. Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: -->'''Fusco:''' Look, I get it. After what happened to Shaw, you and Glasses are worried the same thing's gonna happen to me. And you know what? It might. And I'm fine with that. You don't get to decide what or who I'm willing to die for. I made my choice a long time ago. So stop shutting me out.* "Q&A":** The number of the week joins the select few of [=POIs=] who have been able to take care of themselves to some extent. Because she's an MMA fighter, she's able to active assist Reese with taking down the perpetrators for the episode, and at one point when she's kidnapped, doesn't miss a beat in knocking the living daylights out of her kidnappers. ** Reese as well. With a rapidly accelerating SUV heading towards him, he doesn't move and barely flinches as he fires his Glock, and with one bullet causes the SUV to crash. *** Fusco gets one too for taking down the {{Smug Snake}} villain of the week with a couple of well placed punches. ** [[spoiler: Root's return]]. With a fanatic,smug Claire pointing a gun at Harold, [[spoiler: she strolls in, kills Clarie's fellow Decima/Samaritan mooks]] with the two suppressed pistols she's using, and then after wiping the grin off Claire's face with a brief PreMortemOneLiner, plugs her in the back.** Bonus points for the pistol she used to shoot Claire being a Heckler and Koch USP Compact, a weapon which was Shaw's sidearm. Root probably acquired it as a subtle but deliberate TakeThat to all the Decima/Samaritan assets she will be using it against. ** [[spoiler: Harold does a stone cold ShutUpHannibal when Claire taunts him that he's not willing to kill people. It also plants a massive seed of doubt in her mind about Samaritan which Greer inadvertently causes to grow.]] ** Kudos to Harold for getting a tracking device right into Decima's base of operations. Pity Greer was way too smart for such a tactic however. * "Blunt":** At one point Harper decides to flee, only to be confronted with Fusco. He asks her to come with him, only for Harper to pull out a baton menacingly. Fusco just looks at her [[SeenItAll unimpressed]] and pulls out a tazer in response. Harper wisely folds. ** [[LoveableRogue Harper]] parts ways with Finch and Reese. She gives Finch a hug and vanishes.-->'''Reese:''' Finch, I think she just stole your watch.-->'''Harold:''' Well, that's okay. I stole her ring. She knows where to find me if she wants it back.%%* "Karma":* "Skip":** Reese and BountyHunter Frankie Wells beat up a couple of mooks while handcuffed to each other and with a butcher shop counter between them. * "Search and Destroy":** Root and Reese successfully fend off a Decima/Samaritan team. ** Points to Reese in particular. With his M4 carbine, he carves through the Decima assets like a blowtorch through butter, delivering shots with near supernatural precision. ** The Machine spotting for Reese was incredibly cool.** Most of Martine's interactions with Team Machine have ended with her triumphant. Once they both run out of bullets, Root proceeds [[CurbStompBattle to hand Martine her arse]]. They only reason she survives the encounter is because Reese pulled Root away.* "Asylum":** [[spoiler:Root unceremoniously kills Martine, and almost contemptuously slumps back down after pulling off the deed.]] -->'''Root:''' *[[spoiler:NeckSnap]]* [[IronicEcho What do you know? Not a peep.]] Now I surrender.** Fusco proves once again that the more you torture him, the sassier he gets. He asks for a loofa while getting ''his head held under water''.** Reese gets a screwdriver to the bullet wound and [[TheStoic doesn't even so much as yelp]].** Elias [[spoiler:tricks Dominic into killing Link. It's made all the more sweet by the parallels to Scarface's death, where Dominic forced Elias to kill his best friend. Now, Elias has returned the favour, while crippling Dominic's leadership of the Brotherhood at the same time.]]-->[[spoiler:'''Elias:''' *after Dominic kills Link* "You can take my title but you can't hold onto it, you can't trust anyone. And now your men won't trust you... Good news, there's no rat in your organization. Bad news, you need a new right hand man... So tell me, [[IronicEcho how does it feel knowing that you're responsible for your friend's death?]]"]]** Control gets the upper hand over Shelly, the Samaritan handler:-->'''Control:''' A more pertinent question would be, '[[DroppingTheBombshell What's a middle-aged, caffeine-addicted school teacher doing roaming the halls of the White House?]]' ''[shows Shelly a picture of her in an area normally not permitted to the public]''* "YHWH":** Reese seems to be on top form after [[spoiler:almost dying twice]] this Season. He takes on an [[spoiler:army of Samaritan agents ''in heavy smoke''. Granted, he was in God Mode, but it's still badass.]]-->'''Dominic:''' What the hell is that?\\'''Floyd:''' Old fax machine.\\'''Dominic:''' What does it say?\\'''Floyd:''' [[spoiler:"Sharp right leg. Left knee ACL. Tactical blade. Glass jaw."]]\\''(Reese takes out the guard closest to him.)''\\'''[[spoiler:The Machine:''' [[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Can you hear me? ]]]]\\'''Reese:''' {{Hell yes|Moment}}.** Then when Dominic tries to run, he is greeted by Detective Fusco who brought two SWAT guys with him.-->'''Fusco:'''You're under arrest, jackass'''** Samaritan and Greer [[spoiler:completely and utterly out maneuver Control, killing her only allies, isolating her and capturing her.]] To add insult to injury they play on her WrongGenreSavvy mindset regarding her belief that she's in a spy fiction drama like "24", in order to hide the true nature of "The Correction". [[spoiler: The terrorist plot was a SecretTestOfCharacter.]] One that she failed.*** Credit where credit is due, [[spoiler:Control put up a good fight considering her adversary was omniscient.]] ** The end of the episode. Down, but not out, Root and Reese facilitate the escape of The Machine to the AwesomeMusic Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine" in a blaze of slow motion gunfire, while Harold, calmly walks behind them, a look of certainty and decisiveness in his expression.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Season 5]]* "B.S.O.D.":** Root beats the shit out of two men, while injured and unarmed. [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu She then proceeds to]] ''[[FlippingTheBird literally]]'' [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu flip off Samaritan.]]-->'''Root:''' [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch You can just call me Root, bitch.]]** Harold, the unarmed TechnicalPacifist, evades two Samaritan agents just by stealing some guy's hat.** Harold saving Reese from Zachary. Brownie points to Zachary himself for being able to one-up Reese in a one-on-one fight.** The way in which the Machine is saved. [[spoiler: Team Machine makes a supercomputer out of a cluster of UsefulNotes/Playstation3 consoles. Not only is this TruthInTelevision, but from a meta perspective, the writers figured out how to work weaponized ProductPlacement into the show in a manner that makes sense.]]** "Can you see me?" Never has a blinking cursor been so awesome.* "SNAFU":** The opening surveillance test is this on a meta level. With The Machine's facial recognition software glitching, it starts seeing its assets with the right personalities, but the wrong bodies. The four leads get to really show off their acting skills as they imitate each other's characters.* "Truth Be Told":** Finch had created an alias for Reese with security clearance months previously. [[CrazyPrepared Just in case.]]* "6,741":** Shaw's escape from Samaritan captivity. [[spoiler:It's a Samaritan simulation, so the deck's clearly stacked in her favor.]]** [[spoiler:Samaritan has put Shaw through 6,741 scenarios – that would work out to one per hour for 9 months. In each, Shaw has managed to end the scenario without giving up the subway lair, Finch or Reese's cover identities, or that Fusco is part of Team Machine.]]%%* "[=ShotSeeker=]":* "A More Perfect Union"** Fighting a guy in a field, Reese knocks him out by tossing a horseshoe at the guy's head.-->'''Reese''': Must be my lucky day.** Reese and an innocent are targeted by gunmen not far from a barn. Reese pulls the girl down just as the gunmen are knocked down with bullets in thier ankles. Cue Root ''riding up on a horse'' with gun in hand. -->'''Maggie:''' WhoAreYou?-->'''Root:''' [[BlatantLies Caterer.]]* "QSO":** Root strangles a guy targeting a Russian businessman while dressed as a ballerina.-->'''Russian''': Marry me. %%* "Reassortment":* "Sotto Voce":** Shaw delivering a little LaserGuidedKarma to the human traffickers.** Reese and Fusco fighting an entire pack of killers on their own in the police station.** Just when it looks like Easton is about to get away with a "truce," Elias blows up his car. He shrugs to the stunned Finch that "it's why you brought me along." * "The Day the World Went Away":** Root and Shaw having a gunfight/conversation while rescuing Finch.-->'''Root''': If we're just noise in the system...we might as well be a symphony. ** The last stand of [[spoiler: Carl Elias]] who manages to perform a near successful extraction of [[spoiler: Finch from an apartment building being stormed by Samaritan assets.]] From gunning down multiple hostiles and having his men conduct a successful elevator ambush which [[spoiler: eliminates the Samaritan assets waiting to kill them]], he's nearly successful in getting Harold to safety, and[[spoiler: only undone with the Samaritan team getting to the driver of his getaway car, which distracts him before it's too late]]. ** A stand out moment in the escape has to be [[spoiler: when Elias is pinned down by two Samaritan assets blocking access across the ground floor. Said Samaritan assets made the mistake of discounting the janitor of the apartment building.]] He proceeds to clear a path for his boss and Finch by ventilating the two hostiles with a DoubleTap from his Desert Eagle. ** Root and Harold vs Team Samaritan's Dillon Aero Suburban. Root and Harold are racing away in an unarmored BMW 5 series and being pursued by a death wagon equipped with a roof mounted minigun which proceeds to try turn their car into Swiss cheese. To stop them, Root engages them in a gunfight. With a sniper rifle. While steering the BMW with her foot. And wins.** [[spoiler: [[Main/BewareTheNiceOnes Finch's]] [[Main/TranquilFury bone-chilling]] [[Main/WorldofCardboardspeech monologue]] to Samaritan, while in federal custody. Pretty much indicating he's done playing by [[Main/TheUnfettered the rules]]. Which is soon followed by The Machine (taking the voice of the recently deceased Root), getting him out of prison, by [[Main/AIisaCrapShoot instigating a jailbreak]].]]* "Synecdoche":** Reese and Shaw are at gunpoint by a trio of enemies when they all go down in a hail of gunfire. Enter Joey Durban, the former Army Ranger Reese helped out all the way back in season 1, returning the favor by helping the two escape by posing as soldiers.** It turns out all this time, the Machine has been running other teams around the country to save more numbers so the main Team Machine can focus on Smaritan. Even better is that these teams are comprised of people Team Machine saved like Durban, Harper and Pierce. %%* ".exe":* "Return 0":** John Reese's [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice]]. Realizing that [[spoiler: with three Samaritan assets armed with assault rifles approaching him from two direction, he can't get off the roof, he decides to HoldTheLine, armed only with his SIG-Sauer. Despite being murdered, he manages to delay the Samaritan assets long enough for the Machine to get transmitted up to the satellite.]] ** Sameen hunts down and [[spoiler: executes Blackwell for his murder of Root. After trying to condescendingly plead for his life, and saying that Shaw's friends wouldn't want her to kill him, she shoots him down pointing out that they're either dead (like Root) or gone. Cue a well placed bullet through the heart.]] ** Despite all the simulated failures, when it counts, the Machine is able to destroy Samaritan once and for all. [[spoiler:And ups that when it hijacks itself into Samaritan, overriding it and thus creating a new better Machine.]]** On a meta level, this episode was at one point the third-highest-rated television episode of [[http://www.imdb.com/search/title?num_votes=1000,&sort=user_rating&title_type=tv_episode all time]] on Website/IMDb, only topped by ''Series/BreakingBad''[='=]s "Ozymandias" and ''Series/GameOfThrones''[='=] "The Winds of Winter", and has a perfect user rating of 10/10. (It's since been knocked to eleventh.)[[/folder]]